Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-07-01
IlAs IA t.All, ID. lasEEl htEiN6 laisN. .IFLs


been burned up, alss told him some Of tho
horrors we had undergone In effecting our
escape, and these produced great impression
ON him, But clearly saw that he did not
believe In the report of Ayesha's death. Ho
believed indeed that we thought that sho
WINS dead, but his explanation was that IL had
suited her to disappear for while. Once, no
said, in his fathers time, she had done so for
ten years, and there was n tradition in the
country that many centuries back no one had
seen her for whole generation, when shc
suddenly rcappcarcd, nnd destroyed woman
who had assumed tho position of queen. |
said nothing to this, but only shook my head
sadly. Alasl knew too well that Ayesha
would appear no more, at any rnte that Bill
lali would never see her.
"And now" concluded Billah, "what
wouldst thou do, my Babooni"
aNay, ! said, 81 know not, my father. Can
We not escape from this countryP
He shook his head.
ut is very difficult. By Kor ye cannot
pass, for ye would DO seen, and as soon rs
those fierce ones found that 70 were alone,
well, and he smiled significantly and made
movement as though no were placing a hat
on his head. "But there Is way over tho
cliff whereof once spake to We, where they
drive the cattle out to pasture. Then beyond
the pastures arc three days journey through
have heard that seven days journey from
thence is mighty river which fioweth to the
black water If ye could come thither, per-
chance yc might escape, but how can yo
come thitherf"
"Billali," said, "once, thou lnowest, l did
save thy life. Now pay back tho debt, my
father, and save me mine and my friends,
the Lions 1t shall be pleasant thing for
thee to think OF when thineihour comes, and
something to set in the scale against the evil
doing of thy days, IL perchance thou hast
dono any evil Also, II thou be right, and IL
She doth but hide herself, surely when she
comes again she shall reward thee"
"My son the Baboon," answered the old
man, stink not that have an ungrateful
heart. Well do remember how thou didst
rescue me when those dogs stood by TO see mo
drown Measure for measure will give thee,
and IL thou canst DO saved, surely will savo
thee. Listen: by dawn tomorrow be pre-
pared, for filters shall be here to bear ye
away across the mountains, and through the
marshes beyond This will do, saying that
it is tho word of She That 1t be done, and ho
who obeyeth not the word of She food is no
for the hyenas. Then when ye have crossed
the marshes, ye must strike with your own
hand, so that perchance, IL good fortune go
with yc, ye may live to come to that black
water whereof ye told me- And now, see, the
Lion wakes, and ye must eat the food have
made ready for yer
Leo's condition when once he was fairly
aroused proved not to be so bad as might have
been expected from his appearance, and wo
both of us managed to eat a hearty meal,
which indeed wo needed sadly enough. After
this we limped down to the spring and
bathed, and then came back and slept again
till evening, when we once more ate enough
for five. Billali was away all that day, no
doubt making arrangements about filters and
bearers, for we were Weakened in tho middle
Of the night by the arrival OF considerable
number Of men in the little camp.
At dawn the old man himself appeared,
md told us that ho had, by using She's
dreaded name, though with some difficulty,
succeeded in getting the necessary men and
two guides to conduct us across the swamps,
and that he urged us to start at once, at the
same time announcing his intention OF nc
companying us, SO us to protect us nganst
treachery i was much touched by this act
of kindness on the part OF that willy old bar
barian toward two utterly defenseless stran-
gers. A three-or in his case, for he would
have TO return, six-days' journey through
those deadly swnmps was no light undertak-
ing for n man Of his age, bat llo consulted to
IL cheerfully in order to promote our safety;
10 shows that oven among those dreadful
Amahagger-who arc certainly, with their
gloom and their deviish and ferociOus rites,
by far the most terrible savnges that over
nedfu OI-tDeIe ult people WIN klntlil nuuTlN
OF course self interest may have had some
thing to do with it He may have thought
that She would suddenly reappear and de-
mnnd an account of us ut his hands: but
still, allowing for all deductions, it WIS
great deal moro than we could expect undor
the circumstances, and | can only say that
shall for as long as live cherish most az,
fectionate remembrance OF my nominal
parent, old Billali.
Accordingly, after swallowing some food,
we started in the filters, feeling, so far as
our bodies went, wonderfully like our old
selves after our long rest and sleep. l must
leave tho condition of our minds to the imagi-
nation.
Then came terrible pull up the cliff.
Sometimes tho ascent was natural, more often
ii was n zigzag roadway cut. no doubt, In tho
first instance by tho old inhabitants OF kor. The
Amahagger say they drive their spare cattlo over
Il once year 10 pasture outside; all l Know IS
that those cattle must be unconmonly active on
their feet OF the litters were useless here
30 we had to walk.
For three whole days through stencil and mire,
and the all prevailing flavor of fever, did our
bearers struggle along, till at length we came to
open, rolling ground, quite mcultivated, and
mostly tneeless, but covered with game OF all
Sorts which lies beyond that almost desolate, and
without guides utterly impracticablc, district.
And here on tho following morning we babe fare
well, not without some regret to old Billali, who
strolied his white beard, and solemnly blessed u.s.
Farewell my son the Baboon," he said "and
farewell 10 thee, o Lion. l can do no more to
helpye. But II ever ye come TO your own coun-
try, be advised, and venture no more into lands
that ye know not, lest ye come back no more, but
leave your white bones to mark the limit OF your
journeyngs. Farewell once more; often shall |
think OF ye, nor wilt thou forget me, my Baboon,
for though thy face Is ugly thy heart Is true y
And then he turned and went, and with him went
the tall and sullen looking bearers, and that was
the last that we saw Of the Amahagger. We
watched them winding away with the empty lit
tiers like procession bearing dead men IRON q
battle, till the mists from the marsh gathered
round them and hid them, and then, left utterly
desolate In the vast wilderness, we turned and
| gnzed around us and at each other
Three weeks or SO before, tour men had entered
| the marshes Of Kor, and now two OF us were
| dead, and the other two had gone through adven'
lures and experiences so strange and terrible
| that death himself hath not a more fearful c0un-
| tenance. Three weeks-and only three weeksl
| Truly time should be measured by events and not
| years since we saw the last Of our whnleboat
1--WE must strike out for the Zambesi, Leo
said, "but God knows " we shall ever get there"
Leo nodded lie had become very silent of
late, and we started with nothing but the clothes
we stood In, q compass, our reyolvers and express
rifles, and about 2c0 rounds OF ammunition; and
30 ended the history OF our visit TO the ruins Of
mighty Kor.
AS for the adventures that subsequently beiell
us, strange and varied as they were, have, efter
delberntion, determined not TO record them here.
In these pages have only tried TO give short
and clear account Of an occurrence which be-
lleye to be unique, md this have done, not with
a view TO immediate publication, but merely to
| put on paper while they are yet fresh In our
memories the details OF our journey and its re-
| suit, which WILL believe, prove interesting to
| the world II ever we determine TO make them
| public This, as at present advised, we do not
intend should be done during our joint lives.
| For the rest. 1t is Of no public interest, re-
than one Central African traveller. Suffice II
to say that we did, after incredible hardships
and privntions, reach the Zambesl, which
proved 10 be about 10 miles south Of where
Billali left us. There we were for six months i'm
prisoned by savage tribe. who believed us to be
supernatural beings, chiefly on account OF Leo'a
youthful face and snow white hair. From these
people we ultimately escaped, and, crossing tho
Zambesl, wandered on southwark, where, when
on the point Of starvation, we were sufficiently
10 70 fall In ttfh hal port